Tile-faced surface and the method of constructing same.



' Patented Jan. 28,1902. W. P. MEEKER.

TILE'FAGED SURFACE AND THE METHOD OF CONSTBUCTING SAMEQ (Application filed Apr. 17, .1901.)

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No. 69|,79l. Patented Ian. 28, 1902.

w. P. MEEKER. I TILE FAGED SURFACE AND THE'METHUD 0F CUNSTBUCTING SAME.

' (Application file d Apr. 17, 1901.) (N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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.UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

WILLIAM PASSMORE MEEKER, OF NEWARK, NENV JERSEY.

TlLE-FACED SURFACE AND THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 691,791, dated January 28, 1902. Application filed April 17, 1901. Serial No. 56,194. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PASSMORE MEEKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, (whose post-office address is No. 139 West Kinney street, Newark, New Jersey,) have the facing-tiles thereto by means of interposed cement, and my improvements are directed particularly to certain novel features, whereby the tile is looked more effectually to the interposed cement than has been heretofore possible, and also to the method or manner of manipulation by which this is accomplished.

I will now proceed to more fully describe my improvements, referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings, in all the figures of which corresponding parts are referred to by the same reference-letters, and in which-- a Figure l is a back view of a tile suitable for use in my improved'construction. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same lookingto the right on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a section of tile-surface with one tile in the process of being set. Fig. 1: is a view of the under side of the tile, the dotted lines being for reference in eX- plaining the amount of lateral movement desirable. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of tile-faced surface, showing a buttered tile in the first stage of being applied. Fig. 6 shows the same in the second stage, and Fig. 7 shows the tile in final position. Fig. 8 is an edge view of a section of the tilefaced surface and backing; and Fig. 9 is a front view of a tile-faced surface, the tiles being broken ofi from a portion of the cement to show the formation of the cement behind the tiles when applied.

A is a tile suitable for use in forming my improved tile-faced surface. This tile is preferably of a li ht construction and highly glazed or vitrified, and its face may be ornamented in any suitable manner. Its back is D is the cement which serves to bind the tiles to the backing.

In setting tiles with cement on surfaces the tiles may be either applied by floating, in which case the surface is covered with cement and then the tile is forcedinto the cement by being pressed down into the latter,ortl1e-tiles may be applied by buttering, in which case the back of the tile is first covered with cement and then thecement-covered back is pressed against the base or backing as the tile is placed in positionrbut where the plainbacked tiles are used the cement can only obtain a hold upon the tile by suction, and in time, especially where the surface is subject to jar, the tiles are very apt to become loose and it applied vertically or upon a hanging surface to fall off. This is also in degree the case where tiles with grooved or otherwise recessed backs have been heretofore used,partly owing tothe manner in which they were applied, the tendency being' to formation of air-cushions between the tiles and cement and the failure of the cement to thoroughly spread and clench behind undercutportions of the tile, so that, especially for wall and ceiling purposes, the hold of the cementupon the tile is often insufficient to retain the tile in its place, and bad and disfiguring breaks in thesurfaces occurin consequence. By means of my method in applying the tile, whether by floating or buttering, the tile is not applied to the surface immediately over the position which it is finally to occupy. When it is first brought into contact with the cement, the undercuts of the grooves B B will not be thoroughly filled with the cement; but the latter will take a form somewhat as shown in Fig. 5, leaving openings at one or both sides between the cement and tile. sure is then applied directly upon the face of the tile, while vthere will be a certain amount of spreading of the cement into the undercuts it will not be complete and effective, and in case of air-pockets being It presformed they will not be worked out, so as to o bring the cement in thorough contact with the undercut surfaces of the tile-back, because the cement may spread laterally from beneath the edges of the tile. To avoid these difficulties, I place the tile on the cement at some distance from the position which it. is finally to occupyand with the flared ends of the grooves toward its final position. I then slide the tile along on the cement until it reaches its desired position. The effect of this movement is to drive the cement from the wider ends of the grooves toward their narrower ends, and as the cement cannot escape backward out of the grooves it is forced to spread itself into the undercuts, which it will do effectually and thoroughly if the movement is suificient to make the lips of the groove displace half their bulk of cement, which will fillthe other half of the groove and completely close up all open spaces. In Fig. 4 the distance between the ends of the tile and the intersection of the dotted line or a: with the dotted lines y y, parallel with the edges of the tile and starting from the lip edges at the wider ends of the grooves, shows a sufficient range of movement to effectually spread the cement into the undercuts, as already described. This lateral movement of the tile also tends to eliminate air-cushions, as the smearing motion of the tile against the cement elongates the air cushions or bubbles and tends to spread them from under the tile and burst them. The grooves also being open at both ends the air has a good Opportunity to escape, so as not to interfere with the spreading of thecement into the grooves, thus avoiding the bubbles or air-cushions which are a very serious drawback to the use of tiles with any form of recess or undercut the walls of which form a pocket or hollow when covered by cement.

By the use of my improved method and construction I obtain a strong, thoroughly-interlocked, and durable tile-faced surface from which the tiles will not break away or drop under any ordinary jar, such as the shaking of elevator-shafts and similar constructions, and which surface can be perfectly constructed with as much rapidity as the heretofore-used defective surfaces.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The above described method of constructing a tile-faced surface, consisting of applying the tile upon plastic cement, interposed between it and the backing, to one side of the position which it is ultimately to occupy, and then sliding the tile laterally into position, substantially as described.

2. In a tile-faced surface, the combination, with a backing, of a layer of cement, provided upon its outer surface with integral flanges, formed of continuous,flaring dovetailed members,andpresentingindented undercut edges, and facing-tile, provided upon their backs with flaring dovetailed grooves open at both ends, interlocked with the flanges on said cement, substantially as described.

3. In a tile-faced surface, the combination,

with a backing, of a layer of cement, provided upon its outer surface with integral flanges, formed of continuous,flaring dovetailed members each of the same length as an applied tile, and presenting indented undercut edges, and facing-tile,provided upon their backs with flaring dovetailed grooves open at both ends, interlocked with the flanges on said cement, substantially as described.

WILLIAM PASSMORE lll EEKER.

Witnesses:

WM. D. NEILLEY, KATHLEEN SNELL. 

